Sweden and the EU Commission are now preparing so-called technical talks with the Taliban regime in Afghanistan in an effort to succeed in deporting Afghans who have received deportation orders.
According to reports to, among others, news agencies TT and Euractiv, the discussions are expected to take place in Brussels and be conducted at the official level.
The focus is on solving practical obstacles that currently make it difficult to carry out deportations to Afghanistan, especially when it comes to individuals convicted of crimes.
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Migration Minister Johan Forssell (M) describes the situation as problematic, where Sweden fails to return Afghans to their homeland despite serious crimes.
– It is a big problem today that they remain, both in Sweden and the rest of the EU, when they have actually been sentenced to deportation. But it cannot be enforced because there is no receiving party, Forssell told TT.
The talks, which according to reports may take place before the summer at a neutral venue such as a hotel, should not be interpreted as political recognition of the Taliban, according to the Tidö government.
– These are talks on a technical level, not on a political level. It is about very practical matters, said Forssell.
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The initiative is described as part of a broader EU effort to increase the proportion of enforced deportation decisions to countries where reception systems are currently lacking or limited.
Germany Has Done the Same
In 2024, Samnytt reported that Germany had resumed deportations to Afghanistan after a halt following the Taliban’s takeover of the country.
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The information about the German new start for deportation flights to Afghanistan came from the interior ministry in the state of Saxony. In the initial stage, it concerned the most serious abusers of asylum who had repaid the German people’s hospitality by committing serious crimes in the country.
– These are Afghan citizens, all convicted offenders who did not have the right to stay in Germany and against whom deportation orders have been issued, said government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit in a statement.
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